


My home is here with you

by ToshiHakari



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 11:54:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25849141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToshiHakari/pseuds/ToshiHakari
Summary: A late-night incident in the pub causes Laguna and Raine to finally confess their feelings for each other and act upon them.
Relationships: Laguna Loire/Raine Loire
Kudos: 6





	My home is here with you

**Author's Note:**

> This one is set after the scene in the Winhill dream sequence where Laguna and Kiros overhear Raine and Ellone talk. I'd like to imagine that Laguna moved things along pretty quickly after realizing that Raine felt the same for him as he felt for her. 
> 
> In case you're wondering: This is most definitely not the night Squall was made :P

„And then she honestly said to me “If you come back home that late ever again, Mister, I will lock you out of the house permanently!”! My own wife! Can you believe it, Raine?!” 

The elderly man hit the wooden countertop with the palm of his left hand, while shaking the beer mug, that he firmly held in his right hand, tremulously at the young woman standing behind the bar.

“Mildred is just worried about you, Paul,” Raine answered gently, an amused smile playing on her lips as she washed up the glasses of the other patrons that had left a while earlier. She had already turned the sign on her door over to “closed”, but Paul always used to stay that little while longer. 

“Keep in mind that Winhill has been swarming with monsters in the last six months and every time you go out, you could potentially run into the arms of one and get hurt or, worse, even killed. It’s just her way of showing her love.”

“Love?! No, no, no, that isn’t love! A real wife wouldn’t threaten her husband with leaving him out on the streets, especially such dangerous streets!”

Raine had heard the story of their marital squabbles many times already, but since Paul’s wife never followed through with her empty threats, she didn’t take them seriously. Nevertheless, she always lent Paul an ear and listened to his same old complaints. As she turned the tap off and shook the excess water out of the mug she had just washed, Raine glanced over to the clock on the pub’s wall.

“By the way, Paul,” she said while taking a dishcloth and starting to dry the mug off, “it’s already pretty late. You should head home now so that Mildred won’t get angry again.”

Her words caused Paul’s eyes to widen considerably and he quickly looked over to the clock with a panicked expression.

“Oh no, you’re right! She’s going to be furious again!” he exclaimed, jumping down from his seat with a vigor that was so very atypical for a man his age. He grabbed his jacket, then looked over to his beer mug that was still half-full. 

“I’m so sorry Raine, I have to go now or I’ll be in big trouble… mind if I just put this on my tab for next time?” he asked her with an apologetic smile. 

“Don’t worry about it, Paul. Just hurry home to your wife,” Raine laughed and made a shooing motion with her right hand.

“Thank you so much, Raine! Talk to you soon!” he shouted, looking back at her as he hurried toward the entrance. As he was about to walk through, he suddenly collided with another person that had just entered the pub, causing him to fall backwards but before he could land on the floor, the other person grabbed him by his arms.

“Whoops, sorry Paul! Didn’t see you there!” 

Surprised, the older man looked up into the face of Laguna Loire, who smiled sheepishly as he helped steady him. 

“Are you alright?” Laguna asked, his gaze open and friendly, as always, with just a hint of uncertainty swimming in his turquoise eyes. 

From one moment to another, the elderly man’s facial expression completely changed. While he had been friendly and relaxed with Raine, as soon as he realized that he had just run into Laguna, a wave of fear washed over his face, before it turned into an overwhelming show of distrust. With knitted brows and the corners of his lips pulled down, he quickly muttered “I don’t need your help” and yanked his arm away from him.

Laguna’s face fell, the disappointment and hurt clearly visible and he raised his hands as if to convince Paul that he wasn’t posing any threat. Then again, it was all the young man had been trying to do for all of the twelve months he had been staying in the sleepy town of Winhill.

The elderly man shot him another cautious, spiteful gaze before hurrying out of the pub and into the night. Defeated, Laguna exhaled as his shoulders, as well as his entire posture fell. From where she was standing, Raine watched him with a worried look. It hurt her to see Laguna trying to be friendly with the Winhill locals only to have all of his attempts at a good neighborhood and possible friendship shattered in an instant.

It was heartbreaking.

“Laguna… are you alright?” Raine asked, her voice gentle and comforting. The young man turned around, straightened his posture and smiled at her while running his left hand through his long, jet-black hair before letting it come to rest at the back of his head. 

“Yeah, sure, everything’s alright! Guess I just startled poor old Paul…” he replied, leaning his head to the side and letting his hand wander to his chin, now looking thoughtful. Despite what it may have seemed like, Raine wasn’t fooled by his sudden chirpy behavior. She knew that as much as it bothered her, to Laguna, the disdain from the other residents was even worse. 

Raine carefully placed the dish towel to the side and looked at Laguna with a look of concern that was so intense, that he eventually put his hands on his hips and sighed deeply as he hunched over slightly. He smiled sadly before looking at Raine with a sideway glance.

“There’s just no fooling you, ever,” he said, walked over to the bar and sat down on the stool Paul had been sitting on earlier. Laguna sighed again as he buried his face in his hands for a moment, then rubbed his temples, all while Raine kept on watching him with worry.

There was a long moment of silence where neither of them said anything, with the only noise in the pub coming from the clock ticking away the seconds. When the silence was about to become almost too unbearable, Laguna finally spoke.

“Tell me honestly, Raine… what kind of person do you think I am?” he asked, looking up at her with a gaze that was equal parts pain and apprehension.

When Raine furrowed her brows in apparent confusion, Laguna continued.

“I’m asking because you are the only person in this village, well, along with Ellone, who doesn’t treat me with so much contempt.”

“Because Ellone and I really know you, not just the image that everyone else in Winhill seems to have and that is perpetuated by hearsay. If everyone else just tried to make a conscious effort to look past the fact that you happened to be a Galbadian soldier and really got to know you, they’d feel the same way as we do,” Raine answered without missing a beat and gave Laguna a gentle smile.

“But to answer your question… I think that you are a very generous, kind-hearted person who would give anyone the shirt off of their back. In fact, I was surprised to see that someone like you actually exists, let alone that a soldier could be like that.”

Laguna’s eyes widened in surprise as he listened to Raine speak.

“I mean, sure, in the beginning, I was less than happy when you were brought into my pub,” she continued. “I wasn’t much different than the other residents in that respect, I guess. It was just that… I had seen so many terrible things happen, perpetuated by Estharian soldiers, that I was extremely guarded and protective, of the village, but especially of Ellone. It was just out of sheer obligation that I looked after you.”

Laguna chucked softly. 

“You know, despite the terrible state I was in, I could sense that. There was just so much wariness in the way you even entered the room, let alone the way you cleaned my wounds, changed by bandages or even how you fed me. Each and every action was so full of caution, that it made me feel like I was a wild animal. Ellone was the only one who was more curious than scared of me.”

“Well, to be fair, she had never seen a man with hair as long as yours before. She used to call you ‘sleeping beauty’ for a little while until I told her to stop,” Raine answered, shaking her head as the memory made her laugh. The next moment however, her facial expression turned solemn.

“I often asked myself why our hostility never made you bitter or angry. No matter what people threw at you, you kept on being overly friendly and engaging… even if they didn’t deserve it.” 

“That’s just how I am, I guess. I can understand where the people in this village come from. Even how you felt when you first met me. Heck, if I had been in your situation, I probably would have acted the same. I just… I don’t want to give up on the hope that eventually, the others will want to be willing to give me a chance, even if it’s just a small one,” Laguna said while giving her a crooked smile.

“’Eventually’? When is that going to be, though?” Raine retorted with a certain irritation in her voice that made Laguna flinch in surprise.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Oh, come on, Laguna! You can’t pretend like Winhill is the final destination for you!” Raine spat out, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “All these months you kept on telling me about your aspirations to become a world-traveling journalist, writing reports for magazines and newspapers. How does a sleepy, boring village like this one fit into it? How will you write articles when you’re spending your days either looking after Ellone or hunting monsters? That certainly cannot be how you envisioned your future!”

“Raine…” Laguna said, slightly alarmed, while sliding down from the bar stool, watching her carefully as she seemed to get more and more worked up, “…why are you so angry?”

“Isn’t it obvious?! On one hand, you tell me about your dreams and plans that involve leaving this town and on the other hand, you haven’t been making any attempt so far to actually put it into practice! It just keeps Ellone and me in this weird limbo where we don’t know whether or not any day spent with you in Winhill could be the last one!”

Laguna started to slowly walk into her direction, rounding the edge of the wooden countertop and inched so close, that the distance between them was almost gone. The sudden proximity seemed to be too much for Raine, however, as she looked up to him with her lips pressed together in a fine line and fire burning in her bright blue eyes that were already swimming with unshed tears. Seeing his concerned gaze finally pushed her over the edge and she started to cry.

Carefully, Laguna lifted his right hand and gently cupped her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb. When he spoke, his voice was soothing, yet dark with the weight of all the feelings that hadn’t been spoken out loud until that very moment.

“Have you honestly not realized it yet? I am not leaving this town because I cannot bear the thought of being separated from you.” 

His last few words were almost a whisper and the intensity of them sent a shiver down Raine’s spine. 

“I do not intend to leave you and Ellone all alone. Traveling the world might have been what I wanted when I first came here, but… I am not the same man I was a year ago,” he continued, as he brought his other hand up to Raine’s face. 

“I love you, Raine,” he finally said and smiled at her affectionately before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss that was almost hesitant, almost as if Laguna still expected Raine to reject him. That fear was quickly dismissed, however, when he felt her right hand on his waist and her left hand slide over his backside, until it came to rest on his shoulder, all while Raine reciprocated his kiss, softly moving her lips against his. 

When Laguna eventually withdrew, he leaned his forehead against hers, looking deeply into her eyes.

“God, I’ve been wanting to do that for so long…”

Like a rubber band that had been stretched beyond its breaking point and finally snapped, Laguna’s words stirred something in Raine that she had been suppressing for far too long. With a soft moan she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, as she crushed his lips against his in a deep, heated kiss. 

Surprised, Laguna stumbled a couple of steps back, until his back collided with the shelf behind them. He wrapped his arms around Raine’s waist and reciprocated with the same hunger, his tongue sliding between her lips and brushing against hers. For a while they were completely lost in the moment and each other, finally letting go of months of pent-up sexual tension between them. 

Abruptly, Raine broke off and looked at Laguna with half-lidded eyes. 

“We should go upstairs,” she uttered breathlessly. 

“B-but what about Ellone? What if she walks in on us—?” 

“Don’t worry, I asked your friend Kiros to look after her. I’m sure she’s already fast asleep.”

Another heated kiss followed and without breaking contact, they both managed to move from behind the bar toward the stairs and climbed them slowly, one step at a time. As they stepped through the door that separated the pub from the living area midway, Laguna kicked it shut after them.

Still refusing to let go of one another, they stumbled toward the direction of one of the twin beds, nearly tripping over the low coffee table that was in their path. Laguna and Raine laughed at their own clumsiness, then continued to move until they bumped into the side of the mattress. Finally breaking off their heated kisses, they both stood there for a moment to catch their breath, staring intensely into each other’s eyes. 

Raine was the first to take things further, placing the palms of her hands on Laguna’s stomach before slowly sliding upwards and under his blue jacket. There was a short hitch in Laguna’s breath when Raine first touched him, then, quickly understanding what she was trying to do, he grabbed the front of his jacket and shrugged out of it.

After tossing it on the sofa, he immediately pulled his undershirt off from behind his head and threw it on top of the jacket. Raine was surprised at how muscular he was, still, after all that time of not being in service. Laguna watched as she raised her hand and drew feathery-light circles with her fingers on his pecs, over to his shoulders and back to his neck, where she threaded her fingers through his hair.  
Laguna smiled and took a step closer, grasped the hem of Raine’s sweater and carefully pulled it up and over her head when she raised her arms to assist him. Before he could completely remove the item of clothing from her, she got on her tiptoes to kiss him again. It all came so naturally to them, as if they had done it countless times before and Laguna mentally berated himself for not confessing earlier, for wasting so many opportunities to kiss Raine and make love to her.

In the meantime, Raine’s hands wandered behind her back to swiftly unclasp the black bra she was wearing. She let it drop to the floor before moving to unbutton her jeans and pulled it down so that the only item of clothing left on her was her underwear.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Laguna picked Raine up and carried her over to the bed, where he laid her down on her back and watched, transfixed, as Raine hooked her fingers into the waistband of her panties and pushed it down with an agonizing slowness while holding his gaze.

Her confidence was one of the reasons why Laguna had started to fall for her, but at that very moment, it nearly drove him crazy. He could already feel his member straining painfully against the fabric of his pants.

Laguna stood before her in awe, as he was finally able to see Raine’s body unobstructed from any piece of clothing for the first time. His eyes wandered, hungrily, from her creamy breasts down across her stomach, over the soft, dark curls below and along the length of her legs. 

She was utterly breathtaking.

Raine, who had watched his reaction closely, suddenly started to notice that something had changed in Laguna, his usually slightly awkward, shy demeanor gone, replaced by an assertiveness that was infused with desire. Never before had Laguna been any more sexy than in that very moment.

Laguna moved his hands to the waistband of his pants and he deftly unbuttoned it before pulling it down and kicking it to the side. He noticed how Raine’s eyes almost immediately wandered down to his erection and she swallowed, quietly but still noticeably, before unconsciously licking her lips. She was clearly impressed.

Taking a couple of steps closer, Laguna climbed on the bed until he was hovering over Raine. There was both uncertainty and eagerness written over her face and it made her look all the more lovely to him. As he kept himself propped up with his left arm, his right hand led his member to her entrance, gently moving it up and down. He could already feel how wet she was and the lovely, soft gasps he seemed to be eliciting from her were more than enough confirmation that she was ready for him.

Laguna entered her slowly, inch by inch, watching her facial expression closely for anything that might resemble pain or discomfort. Instead, Raine’s face showed nothing but pure bliss and she held onto his shoulders as he slid further and further in. Eventually, he was fully sheathed within her and he leaned his forehead against hers once more as he kept perfectly still in order to try and keep himself from coming too quickly. He definitely wanted to avoid that at all cost.

When he was sure that Raine had gotten used to the feeling of him inside her, he pulled out just as slowly as he had entered her and thrust back in, over and over, in an almost agonizing rhythm.

Each and every time he withdrew and thrust back inside her, Raine uttered soft, yet strangled moans that only grew in intensity. Despite his best intentions, Laguna couldn’t keep the slow pace, as he could feel his body grow impatient, wanting to fully give in to the pleasure of their lovemaking.

“L-Laguna… please… I need you to—” Raine whimpered, her lips directly at his ear and it was all it took for him to finally lose his cool.

Laguna grasped her left leg first and moved it up so that he could place it on his shoulder before he did the same with her right leg, thereby allowing for a closer, deeper penetration. He started to move more quickly now and Raine threw her head back against the pillow, another moan breaking forth from her lips as her own hips moved to meet his with just as much vigor.

Laguna could feel his climax approaching fast, but he knew that it was more important to him that Raine came first. His hand moved down and he started to rub his fingers in small circles against her flesh, heightening the intensity of the sounds Raine uttered. As his fingers moved slightly further up, Raine suddenly jerked her hips forward and dug her nails so hard into his shoulders, that she nearly drew blood.

“D-don’t stop, Laguna, please! I need it¬–, I need–, I need you…!” she pleaded with him, throwing her head back once more as another wave of pleasure washed over her. 

Intensifying the pressure on her clitoris, he started to thrust faster and harder, unable to maintain any shred of control anymore. He so desperately wanted to see her come undone.

Her breathing had become labored and fast, the movement of her hips against his erratic. 

“L-Laguna… I… love… you…” 

With her confession of love spilling from her lips, Raine finally came and the rhythmic contractions of her vagina finally pushed him over the edge as well. With a strangled groan, Laguna thrust forward, deeply, one final time, then his own climax washed over him like a tidal wave.

It was as if someone had stopped time, both so acutely aware of one another and nothing else around them. 

When their orgasm started to subside, Laguna pulled out of Raine and tried to catch his breath.

“That… that was… wow…” he spluttered while letting himself plot down beside her, unable to form a coherent sentence. Raine snuggled up to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and laid her arm across his chest.

“I must say… I am impressed. Seems like writing isn’t the only hidden talent you possess,” Raine finally said, giving him a cheeky smile and watched with delight, as his face turned into a deeper shade of pink.

“Oh my god, Raine…!” Laguna covered his eyes with his forearm, trying in vain to hide his embarrassment. He looked so utterly cute and abashed, that Raine couldn’t help but laugh, but her laughter was interrupted by a sudden yelp from Laguna.

“Ow, ow, ow…! Oh please, not right now…!” 

His arm shot down to his leg and he started to frantically massage his calf.

Realizing what was happening, Raine propped herself up and looked at Laguna with an amused expression.

“Are you seriously having a leg cramp right now?”

Laguna could only nod, as he held onto his leg, whimpering, while the pain shot through him.

“…AFTER we had sex? I can’t believe it…” Raine snickered.

“Hey, I can’t control it, okay? This is all embarrassing enough for me already as it is so–“ he started, but another jolt of pain interrupted him mid-sentence, causing him to roll over the edge of the bed and hit the floor with a loud thump.

“Oh my god, Laguna, are you okay?” Raine snorted, as she leaned over the bed. 

“Yeah… I’m just glad my suffering brings you such pleasure,” he quipped, looking at her with an exaggerated, pitiful expression as he rubbed his back.

“Aw, come on, you know that’s not true,” she replied, trying to stifle another giggle. “I just think you’re incredibly cute,” she added and gave him such a loving smile, that he couldn’t even pretend to feel hurt.  
She extended her arm to him to help him back up on the bed, pressing another kiss to his lips as he heaved himself back up. Laguna immediately pulled Raine into a close embrace again, nuzzling her nose affectionately.

Wordlessly, she traced a trail down his leg with her fingers, eventually letting the palm of her hand come to rest on his calf and started rubbing his skin in gentle circles.

“Better?”

“Better,” he sighed, as the painful throbbing in his leg finally started to subside.

“So… I take it that you’re staying here tonight, right?” 

He looked deeply into her eyes for a couple of seconds before he gave his answer.

“Definitely not just tonight.”


End file.
